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Updated: May 7, 2026

Vasodilation of Isolated Vessels and the Isolation of the Extracellular Matrix of Tight-skin Mice
Published on: March 24, 2017
The transcription factor IRF4 is essential for TCR affinity-mediated metabolic programming and clonal expansion of T
Kevin Man1, Maria Miasari, Wei Shi
11] The Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research, Parkville, Australia. [2] The Department of Medical Biology, University of Melbourne, Parkville, Australia.
Abstract:
During immune responses, T cells are subject to clonal competition, which leads to the predominant expansion of high-affinity clones; however, there is little understanding of how this process is controlled. We found here that the transcription factor IRF4 was induced in a manner dependent on affinity for the T cell antigen receptor (TCR) and acted as a dose-dependent regulator of the metabolic function of activated T cells. IRF4 regulated the expression of key molecules required for the aerobic glycolysis of effector T cells and was essential for the clonal expansion and maintenance of effector function of antigen-specific CD8(+) T cells. Thus, IRF4 is an indispensable molecular 'rheostat' that 'translates' TCR affinity into the appropriate transcriptional programs that link metabolic function with the clonal selection and effector differentiation of T cells.
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